The Sun Sets in the West
by Lost Whispers
Summary: She would always be in control. Even if Ozai was in charge. Azula/OC.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Azula, I've been meaning to talk to you." Azula frowned at the seriousness of her father's voice. Something was wrong.

"What is it, Sir?" she asked carefully, looking up from where she kneeled on the cold War Chamber floor.

"Someone has asked for your hand in marriage."

Drawing a quick, nervous breath, Azula coughed, "Who, Sir?"

"An Earth Kingdom prince."

Disgusting. Earth Kingdom? Surely the Fire Lord was lying. "That's...strange..." answered the princess with a smirk.

"Is it? Because I told him you said yes."

"Excuse me?" she gasped, scanning the room briskly and hoping there was a way out that was less obvious than the main door. There wasn't.

"He's willing to give me control of the entire Southern Earth Kingdom's military in exchange for you. That was an offer I simply couldn't refuse."

She was being traded for troops? "It's probably a trap. Maybe you should reconsider..."

"You think I'm not capable of making a good decision without your input, Azula?" growled Ozai, the bright flames surrounding his throne stretching farther up toward the ceiling.

"No, Sir. That's not what I meant. I was just saying that -"

"I didn't ask you to say anything at all," snarled Ozai, the corners of his mouth turning up in a sarcastic smile.

"Sorry, Sir." She wasn't. He probably knew that. Azula glanced bitterly toward one wall of the room which was covered in heavy red banners printed neatly with the ebony Fire Nation symbol, trying to imagine instead the ugly green banners of Earth Kingdom flags. No. That wouldn't work in here. "I'd be honored to accept this opportunity to serve the Fire Nation. I guess."

"Good. It really wasn't your decision to make, anyway." Azula frowned again. She'd always thought Ozai loved her. Obviously she'd been wrong.

"May I ask you something, Sir?" inquired Azula, straining to keep from looking as angry as she felt.

"Of course."

"Who's going to take the throne after you're gone if I'm going to be in the...the Earth Kingdom?" She shuddered slightly at the sound of the vile name.

"I don't know. It doesn't really matter right now. I'm not planning on dying any time soon."

"I hope not, Sir." Or did she? She wasn't really sure; maybe she'd think about it later. Now wasn't the time.

"So it's all settled, then. You may want to go pack."

"What? Why? When am I leaving?"

Ozai smiled slyly and shrugged. "Tomorrow morning."

**A/N: This chapter's kind of boring, but the story is set to get better, so please keep reading. **

**By the way, my sister and I are writing another fanfic called **_**Cut Apart the Moon**_** which is a cool story you should definitely check out. Really different from this one, but totally worth looking at.**

**Please review!!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"That's awful, Azula!" gasped Ty Lee, covering her face with her hands and sitting up from her spot on Azula's bed. "Ugh, you'll have to wear Earth Kingdom clothes and learn to speak a whole other language!"

Azula cocked an eyebrow. "What? No, Ty Lee. They speak the same language as we do. And I can bring my clothes with me."

"Yeah, but it'll probably be really boring. What do Earth Kingdom people even do, anyway?" sighed Mai calmly.

"I don't know. It doesn't really matter; it's not like I'll actually ever _talk_ to any of them," explained Azula dryly, picking irritably at the handle of her suitcase.

"Maybe he'll move here! Then you can still be Fire Lord someday and we can all still be friends," suggested Ty Lee.

"I don't think it works that way."

"Mai's right, Ty Lee. And surely it can't be too bad; I mean my father's occasionally a cruel man, but I'm his favorite daughter," Azula scoffed, wishing it made her feel better.

"Actually Azula, you're his only daughter..." Ty Lee pointed out.

"Either way, I'm sure he wouldn't be doing this if he thought it would actually be really horrible."

"I thought he was just trading you for the army. What if he doesn't even know the guy you're going to be marrying? Maybe he's a crazy mass-murderer who keeps his victims' bodies frozen in his basement. Ooh! Or maybe he's a mad scientist who does weird experiments on people that turn them into animal-mutant-things. Or maybe he's -"

"Ty Lee, stop it. You'll give yourself nightmares. He's probably just a normal guy who's too shy to actually find his own girlfriend. Nothing more." Comforting Ty Lee was a lot of work, and Azula was only beginning to appreciate the chance to do it now. Oh well; friends were replaceable. But what if Ty Lee was right? Maybe he _was_ some kind of killer or crazy person. She didn't know. Azula didn't even think her dad knew. But why would he care; at least he would still have the army.

"Where did you say he lived, Azula?" asked Mai slowly, resting her head on one hand.

"I don't know. I'm guessing if my father's getting the Southern Earth Kingdom military, it's somewhere in the Southern Earth Kingdom..." Did she sound stupid explaining that? Azula decided it didn't really matter. This was only Ty Lee and Mai, after all.

"Good thinking, Azula," chirped Ty Lee, grinning ear to ear. Suddenly her eyes widened and her face lit up even more, if that was possible. "Azula, me and Mai can come with you!"

"What? That's ridiculous. You're traveling with the circus and Mai still lives with her parents," Azula scoffed.

"No; the circus is taking a break for about a month because we just lost three of the main clowns. I've got plenty of time! And maybe you can get your dad to move Mai's parents to the Southern Earth Kingdom with you!"

"You can't really expect me to uproot Mai's entire family just so I won't be in the Earth Kingdom alone," laughed Azula. What an odd idea.

"They probably wouldn't mind. The Fire Nation's a really boring place; I'm sure Mai would love to move with you!" Ty Lee seemed so excited. Azula hated that she had to crush that hope.

"Actually, Ty Lee, my dad just got assigned a new governing job. I have no idea where we're moving, but I'm pretty sure it's somewhere really far north," Mai informed quietly while brushing a loose strand of her long, raven-black hair out of her face.

"See, Ty Lee? They're already moving." That was disappointing. The princess had hoped Mai's family might still be waiting for a new assignment.

"Well...I can still come...right?" whined the little acrobat.

"Where would you stay? I don't know how warm the prince would be to the idea of you moving in with him just for me," the firebender said blandly. She pushed her suitcase off the bed and onto the cold, smooth tile floor where it landed with a loud thud.

"I wouldn't have to stay with you. I have some money; I could just get a job and find an apartment. No, wait! I have an even better idea!"

"What's that?" Ty Lee's 'better ideas' were usually no better than her bad ones, but Azula wasn't quite harsh enough to discourage her.

"I'll come with you as a servant! You know; wear a uniform and in front of him call you Princess Azula and pretend I'm just there to take care of you. Then, when he's not around it'll be just like normal! It'd be fun; sort of like being secret spies except we won't be spying on anything. Doesn't that sound great?"

"I'm not sure that would work very well, Ty Lee. And I'm not sure most people bring servants with them when they get married off, either," hinted Azula gently, wondering when Ty Lee would get the idea that she wasn't really wanted. Azula loved her like a sister, but she was embarrassing at times. Very, very embarrassing.

"Yeah, but you're special. You're the princess of the Fire Nation! So you can do whatever you want. Come on; I'd be good. I'd stay quiet and out of the way and do anything you told me to do and I'd even sleep outside. Please please please!"

"Sleep outside? Why would I want you to sleep outside?" asked Azula quickly, raising her eyebrow again and crossing her arms.

"I don't know. But I'd do it. It would be soooo much fun! We could hang out all the time; sort of like a never-ending sleep-over that would keep going and going and going and going and -"

"Ty Lee, stop. And it would end. Eventually you'd have to go back to the circus. Mai, tell her how unreasonable she's being," commanded the princess sharply, her frustration with the brown-haired teen growing with every word she said.

"Azula's right, Ty Lee. You couldn't stay with her. And you love the circus. You wouldn't want to leave it just so you could serve Azula," answered Mai placidly.

"Well, Mai, I didn't say there was anything wrong with wanting to serve me..." defended Azula.

"No, Azula, Mai's right. I wouldn't want to give up my dreams of becoming world's greatest acrobat for you." Since when had Ty Lee dreamed that? "In fact, I should probably be at the circus anyway. They might need help interviewing more clowns."

"Wait a minute, Ty Lee; I -"

"You know, I'd better go back before they leave without me. Wouldn't want to get left behind just to get left behind again by you," Ty Lee whined.

"You know what, Ty Lee? I changed my mind. That was a great idea. You can come." Stupid Ty Lee. Begging for sympathy. She knew Azula couldn't ignore her long enough for her to actually go back to the circus.

"No, no. I wouldn't want to be a bother..."

"Nonsense. You wouldn't be a bother at all. Now you run along and get your clothes, and Mai and I will be here when you return. Won't we, Mai?" Azula smiled in frustration as Mai nodded and Ty Lee skipped out of the room. "What have I done?"

"It's still not too late to say you changed your mind," suggested Mai in what, for her, was a cheerful manner.

"No, I can't do that. Are you sure you're moving up north?"

"No."

Azula smiled mischievously as she stated, "Well, then, if you'll excuse me - I have to go talk to my father."

**A/N: Hope you liked this chapter; the story will pick up a lot more in the next chapter or two, so please keep reading.**

**And again, if you're really not feeling this story, check out **_**Cut Apart the Moon**_**, because it's nothing like this story. Different plotline, different pov, different set of characters. It goes a lot faster than this one does, so even though it's not that far along, there's been stuff happening from chapter one. It's great. :)**

**By the way, all you Americans, happy Fourth of July! I'm hoping **_**someone**_** will actually be home reading, but I kind of doubt that...if you do actually read this chapter, I'd love to hear what you though, so r&r! God bless the U.S.!!**

**Please review!!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The morning was going by much too quickly. How Azula had convinced her father to relocate Mai's parents on such short notice was a mystery to her, but it didn't really matter. Mai was moving, and Ty Lee was going to stay with Mai's family so Azula didn't have to worry about taking her along. Things were working out much too well.

Taking a moment to look around her room one last time, Azula sat down on her scarlet-sheeted bed and took a deep breath. It looked almost exactly the same as it always did; still almost perfectly clean and tidy, the only difference being her closet and vanity were both empty, and Azula noticed vaguely that neither space looked like it had been cleaned since Azula moved into this room thirteen years ago. Which would've annoyed her on any other day, but not today. Today, she only wondered how long she'd remember the memory-filled room before it faded completely from her mind, replaced with some new room in an Earth Kingdom palace.

There was a soft knock on the door and a maid walked in, smiling broadly. Azula couldn't remember ever seeing a maid look so happy as this one. "The ship's ready, ma'am. You can leave now."

Oh. So she was happy because Azula was leaving. Fair enough; Azula decided right then that she was happy to _be_ leaving. Sort of.

She stood up with a sigh and walked swiftly out of the room, strolling casually down the dark, empty hallway she'd grown so used to seeing every day. The whole house was smothering her with unwanted memories; some of which she'd probably smile about someday, but most of which she wished would stay right here in the huge, smoke-scented palace. Far away from her.

Ozai was talking to the captain of the ship in the foyer, but Azula walked right past him. Traitor. Throwing her away like this; it wasn't right. She belonged here. And he was turning her out for a few thousand untrained Earth Kingdom troops. If she'd been him, she wouldn't have even considered betraying her daughter like that. Well, probably not, at least.

Either way, she walked calmly out to the large iron warship that represented her last contact with the Fire Nation, keeping her chin up high and her back straight. No matter how badly the Fire Lord may have defeated her, the Fire Nation's last image of the princess wasn't about to be a pathetic one. She would always be in control. Even if Ozai was in charge.

As she reached the ship, the familiar faces of her two best friends seemed almost fake amidst the mess of dark metal and hurried soldiers whose armor all glinted in the mid-morning sun. Poor Ty Lee and Mai. Getting pulled into a problem Azula was sure she could handle herself. She could handle anything herself, after all.

"Ty Lee! Mai! So good to have you onboard. Mai, where are your parents?" greeted Azula cheerfully, skimming the distant ocean horizon with her flashing golden eyes. It was foggy and gray, weighted down under thick silver clouds. Not the best day to head out to sea, but the trip to the Earth Kingdom wasn't a particularly long one.

"They're bellow deck. Tom-Tom isn't feeling well, and their looking after him," grunted Mai emotionlessly. Ty Lee grinned.

"Tom-Tom is so cute! I wish I had a cute little brother like yours, Mai," cooed the pink-clad girl energetically.

"You can have mine."

"Oh, Mai! You're so funny! So Azula, are you excited?"

"No, Ty Lee. And why should I be? This is the end of my life. Or, more accurately, the end of the Earth Kingdom prince's." Azula smiled as she reflected on her comment, finding it quite hilarious, even if her two companions didn't.

"You know, he could be really nice. Maybe you should get to know him before you plan to murder him," suggested Mai aloofly.

"I doubt I'll like him, Mai. And I may as well start planning now; it's easier to call off plans later than realize you don't have any when you need them." Again, Azula found herself smiling. She was so clever. And she was lucky to have friends that made her wit so obvious.

"I'll bet he's tall and handsome and romantic," sighed Ty Lee with stars in her eyes and her clasped hands against her cheek. "And he'll come meet you at the docks on some big, strong animal and whisk you away to his magical castle where you two will live happily ever after..."

"I thought he was going to be an insane psychopath, Ty Lee. Maybe you should get your story straight before you tell anyone else anything about him," advised Azula sweetly.

"Princess! We're about to set off," bellowed the captain, who had just boarded the massive vessel. His voice was rough and deep; it grated against Azula's sensitive eardrums and she cringed. For his sake, she hoped he didn't talk to her anymore.

Once he was out of earshot, Ty Lee giggled, "He sounds funny."

"I didn't notice," sniffed Mai emptily.

"I did," Azula remarked. "Anyway, the prince probably won't even be at the docks. I know I wouldn't be; that's highly improper and I'm sure he's a very busy person."

"How old is he? What's his name? Do you know what he looks like? Is he gonna be king someday? What's his family like? Do you think he chose to marry you or do you think his dad set it up like yours did?" spouted Ty Lee suddenly. Mai and Azula stared at her in disbelief.

"Where did all that come from, Ty Lee?" laughed Azula, surprised her friend had only now realized she didn't know any of those things.

"I don't know. Now just seemed like a good time to ask. So how old -"

"Wait, stop. I don't know. I didn't ask my father and I'm not sure he knows, either. It probably wasn't important to him," spat Azula bitterly, wondering how her mood had changed so abruptly from angry to humorous to angry again so fast.

"What if he has a really long name you can't pronounce? Are you going to give each other pet names?"

"Mai, that's so unlike you to ask," Azula started. "And if his name's really long I'll just have to write it down somewhere and read it a lot until I remember it. Pet names are disgusting and immature, don't you think?"

"Yes, I do." Mai always looked so bored, and it was beginning to annoy Azula a little. She was not a boring person to be around, and Mai would have to be stupid to think she was.

"I think they're cute..."

"We know you do, Ty Lee," smiled Azula, keeping her eyes locked on the hazy horizon. It looked stormy, and they'd just left port. Was the captain really about to take the ship through such awful-looking weather?

As if in response to Azula's thoughts, the captain strolled up to the three girls with a grim smile plastered over his bearded face. "We're going to be hitting a rough patch pretty soon. You three may want to head below deck until we're past it."

"Ay-ay, Captain!" Ty Lee giggled, saluting dramatically. Looking unfazed by Ty Lee's strange actions, the man bowed and marched away.

"Well, ladies, I hope you don't get sea-sick too easily," began the princess curtly as the ship began to rock treacherously back and forth on the churning indigo sea, "because I think it's going to be a bumpy ride."

**A/N: If this really hasn't caught your interest yet, do not give up faith. Please. It's going to pick up a lot more starting next chapter, so you're patience would totally be appreciated.**

**I'm really not going to advertise **_**Cut Apart the Moon**_** in every chapter, but if you haven't looked at it yet, you definitely should. It's really great, I think, and the total opposite of this story, so one of them is sure to capture you. I hope. lol**

**Please review!!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Rain was pounding against the portholes of the ship in a furious blur of silver and indigo. Sitting on a stiff, musty cot right below deck, Azula listened to the hard, heavy rain and the howling of salty sea wind against the thick sides of the ship. The boat was rocking wildly back and forth, being tossed and turned on the choppy black waves outside. Azula sighed. Mai was asleep and Ty Lee was sick, so she was basically all alone. Alone, and bored.

Being as quiet as she could be to avoid waking her slightly morbid friend, Azula crept out of the cramped room, wondering testily why her father had sent her to the Earth Kingdom in this rusty old corpse of a ship. As she closed the door almost silently behind her, a sudden rush of noise surprised her. Men on deck were running madly about, their metal boots clanking noisily on the hard floor. She could hear them shouting out long strains of hoarse complaints, half obscenities and half commands.

Seeing anything in the dark hallway was difficult, and it was just as difficult, Azula decided, to stay upright while the whole world seemed to keep shifting underneath her. A little bit of light was shining through from the opening between the belly of the ship and the deck and she moved slowly toward it, clutching at the walls in an attempt to steady herself. When she reached it, she looked up - instantly being drenched by a wave of water; salty, bitter water. The ladder was slippery, but she struggled up it anyway, unsure why she was even out of her warm, safe cabin; not to mention why she was trying so hard to go up on deck. It obviously wasn't safe.

The moment she stepped onto the cold, slick surface that was the deck, a huge bolt of lightning tore through the water-logged sky, illuminating for one quick second the entire main deck. It was just enough time for Azula to steal a quick glance around at all the chaos as a small group of hurried soldiers came barreling toward her. She jumped to the side and they all raced down into the hull of the ship. She followed.

They ran down to the very bottom of the huge dark vessel, which Azula realized anxiously was filled with a few inches of water. She'd been on a lot of boats, but never this far down inside one, and she wasn't sure how normal that much water was. Or if it was supposed to be rising as fast as it was.

There was a desperate race to save the ship as the howling men tried to pump the water out, but the rain, wind, and waves outside kept pounding mercilessly at the old craft. There was a long, needle-thin crack down one of its walls and Azula realized just as it groaned and tore open that something really was wrong.

Water came flooding in from seemingly every direction; it was cold and Azula wanted to get back up to the higher levels of the ship, but was having trouble remembering how. Men were shouting harsh orders to no one in particular as the crack grew longer and longer; wider and wider. She was running out of time. Someone had to go tell the captain. Someone had to save Ty Lee and Mai.

Trying not to thrash about too much, Azula held her breath and pushed herself towards the lone iron ladder that she knew meant safety. Water was beating against her from all angles, pulling her under while she tried to move forward. Azula braced herself, waiting for the right moment to abandon her almost safe hold on a thick pipe she'd found near the ceiling, then struggled forward one more time.

The ship was heaving and moaning; almost choking on the damning water. Azula reached the ladder and grabbed onto it, willing herself to just get up to Ty Lee and Mai. But her armor was heavy and the ladder was slippery; she'd never make it to them in time. Desperately she looked around, nearly blinded by the constant spray of cold, dark water. Just above the ladder was someone's spear, obviously dropped in the confusion of the moment. It was laid precariously across the opening and she reached for it - as she felt another group of hands grasp the ladder beneath her.

There were still sailors down there - and she'd never make it out as long as they were all fighting to get up the single ladder. She had to move faster. Stretching her soaked arm out as far as she could, her fingers brushed against the slimy wood of the spear, rolling it farther away. She cried out in frustration and reached up one more time, but this time the water pushed her up against the ladder and the spear rolled just out of reach again.

Summoning what was left of her strength, she pulled away from the water that was sucking her in and climbed just a little higher up the ladder. Just high enough to reach the spear. She hoped it was strong enough to hold her; that it wouldn't snap with the burden of her weight and send her falling back down into the ship's drowning frame.

She closed her eyes and pulled herself up, sure she'd only fall back down. But she didn't. As one huge wave threatened to knock her away from the safe opening, she grabbed at the smooth floor of the next level of the ship, gasping for breath and looking for something - anything - to hold onto.

Somehow she got up, just as the ladder snapped away from its shaky position and fell down into the churning waves that were devouring the boat. Taking the men with it. Azula felt a little bad, but she had no time for regrets. Blind from the salt-water, exhausted, and slipping all over the place, the princess ran to the second ladder, climbing arduously up it and hoping there was still time. The captain was sure to know the ship was sinking; it was her friends she was worried about. And they were both asleep in the cabin by now. She had to save them.

Rushing down the dark, empty hallway, she found her cabin and flung open the door. Ty Lee and Mai were sound asleep, Mai curled up on the cot and Ty Lee stretched out underneath it. Azula breathed an apprehensive sigh of almost-relief and ordered, "Ty Lee, Mai, get up! The ship's sinking and we have to get off." Within seconds, the girls were awake, yawning and rubbing their eyes.

"What, Azula?" sniffed Ty Lee casually.

"The ship's sinking! We have to go!" Seeing the two girls weren't alert enough to understand, Azula grabbed them each by the hand and pulled them toward the door, hoping she wasn't too late. She just needed more time; a little more time.

The captain was easy to spot on the frantic deck of the ship, ordering that the lifeboats be prepared while standing almost completely still on the rocking, slanting deck. "Girls, I'm glad you're...about to send for you...at least another hour, and in this storm...chances with the lifeboats..." Half of his voice was lost in the wailing wind and Azula strained to listen, wishing he talked just a little bit louder. "...stay onboard for a bit longer...weather's more stable..."

They weren't leaving the ship yet? That didn't make any sense. It was sinking. They had to get off. Angrily Azula shouted, "Have you lost your mind? We'll die if we stay here." But he didn't seem to hear. Instead, he walked briskly away, vanishing behind the thick veil of sparkling silver raindrops.

"Azula, what's going on?" screamed Ty Lee frantically, clutching her best friend's hand and biting her own nails.

"He's not going to let us off!"

"Why?" Ty Lee's hand was trembling badly and Azula squeezed it comfortingly.

"I guess he wants to see if the weather's going to get any clearer before he sends out the lifeboats. The ship still has an hour, he says."

Ty Lee smiled, but Azula knew she didn't feel any better. The firebender turned toward Mai, only to see that she was gone. Dammit. Her parents. Where were they? Had Mai really gone back for them? "Ty Lee, wait here. I'm going to find Mai."

And with that, she was off, dropping once more into the dangerous belly of the ship. And wondering why she'd let Mai's parents come.

**A/N: First semi-action scene I've ever written, so you really can't hate me. btw, never try writing while your little brother's watching Hannah Montana in the other room. Extremely distracting.**

**Anyone who's read this far, thanks so much! I realize the first few chapters were pretty slow...hoping it's picking up...**

**And this story's doing really, really awful so far. Way worse than I'd hoped. So unless I get at least three reviews this chapter, I'm pulling it. Obviously that won't bother many people...cuz not many people are actually reading tear...**

**Please review!!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**A/N: OMG YESTERDAY I TOTALLY MADE A HUGE MISTAKE WITH THIS CHAPTER, SO EVERYONE WHO READ WHAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE CHAPTER 5 YESTERDAY, THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT.**

**Instead of posting Chapter 5 of this story, I ended up accidentally posting chapter 5 of Keeper of the Sun, which isn't even near being at chapter five yet...**

**I'm soooooooo sorry for any confusion that could've caused. Seriously, Zuko isn't even in this story lol. You would so not believe how embarrassing this is; I guess I have my stories organized really badly and uploaded the wrong freakin document. So whatever Chapter 5 you read yesterday, just forget it. That was the wrong chapter.**

**This one should be right...definitely will make more sense I hope...lol SORRY!!**

"Wait! We can't leave without Tom-Tom!" screamed Mai's mother frantically as Azula

stepped into the cabin.

"Where is he?" asked Mai calmly, but with an edge to her voice that Azula wasn't used to hearing. Worried. If Mai was capable of feeling such an emotion.

"I don't know! I put him to bed right there," the crying woman pointed to a small bed made of wrinkled sheets in a suitcase, "and when you came in, Mai, I looked to get him - but he was gone!"

"It's going to be alright, dear," comforted Mai's father, hugging his sobbing wife close to him. "I'm sure he hasn't gotten too far."

"We'll look for him, Dad. You take Mom up to the deck and find Ty Lee." When had Mai gotten so commanding? These were her parents. Azula smiled slightly, half to console the two adults, and half out of pride for Mai. Even Azula wouldn't tell her father what to do like that.

"Azula, where do you think we should look first?" sighed Mai once her mother and father had left the cabin.

"He's only a toddler...I'm sure your father was right in that he hasn't gone far. But we need to hurry; why don't you go that way," she pointed down to the right side of the hallway, "and I'll go the other, and we'll meet in the middle in about half an hour."

"Fine." Both girls moved to start their search. "And Azula?"

"Yes, Mai?"

"Thanks." Poor Mai. The sea air was obviously getting to her head. She wasn't herself.

"It's no trouble. Now go!" The thought of staying any longer in the massive iron beast of a ship terrified Azula, but she tried to keep calm. All of the doors in the corridor were closed and locked except for one which led to a large storage space, and Azula assumed that if Tom-Tom had gone anywhere in her side of the hall, it would be that storage room.

Cautiously she walked in, paying close attention to a maze of rope strewn across the floor. It was even darker in the closet-like space than in the very bottom of the ship, and Azula was afraid to firebend for light. Didn't want to set anything on fire while the ship was sinking.

She poked slowly around, probing through heaps of rough fabric and shoving aside heavy wooden crates, always worrying that the boxes would come unbalanced and fall, crushing her. "Tom-Tom," she crooned gently, "where are you?"

There was a soft thud far back in the pitch-black space that Azula wouldn't have noticed anywhere else on the ship because of all the noise. In here, though, it was quiet; eerily, deathly quiet. "Tom-Tom? Was that you?" She took a step further and waited, straining her ears, but all she heard was the shrill ringing of silence. Without thinking about where to move next, she took another step forward and a rack of mops and brooms collapsed on her. Resisting the urge to scream, Azula crawled out from under it and stood back up.

As she brushed herself off, she heard the noise again; the sound of something soft being hit against the hard metal floor. It was weird, she noticed skeptically as she inched closer to the back of the room. The ship rolled sharply on a large wave and the door slammed shut, submerging the area in even heavier darkness. "Tom-Tom, if you're in here, you'd better -"

A child shrieked, possibly from laughter, and Azula jumped back, startled. The sound was strange in the noiselessness she'd gotten so used to in the last minute or so. It sounded muffled, almost mocking, and creepier than Azula had been anticipating. "Tom-Tom?" she whispered, resting her hand on a hard, furry surface. Something reached up and grabbed her hand and this time, she screamed.

Within seconds, the door swung open and Mai was there, silhouetted in black against the dark blue-gray of the hall. "Azula? What's wrong?" cried the girl almost nonchalantly.

"I think I found him..." Reaching out carefully, Azula wrapped her arms around the strange creature and picked it up, carrying it out toward Mai. A tiny bit of light was lingering near the opening between the hallway and the deck, and in it the princess saw the familiar face of Tom-Tom smiling up at her. "Yeah, it's him."

Mai took him, letting Azula go up to deck first, then handing the baby up after her while she climbed out of the tomb-like corridor.

"My baby!" shrieked the child's mother as she ran to retrieve him, tears and rain all streaming down her pale face. "Oh, girls, thank you so much! I don't know what I would've done if..." Her voice trailed off and her husband smiled.

"You're just in time. People are boarding lifeboats; the ship's halfway underwater."

"Azula! Mai! You're alive!" Ty Lee suddenly cried, wrapping her arms around the two dark-haired teens and sobbing into Azula's shoulder. "I was so worried. Come on; we're getting off this death-trap. And Azula! They saved your clothes!"

Laughing, Azula sighed, "Wonderful, Ty Lee. I was really worried about that."

"I know; I was too. You have the nicest clothes." Obviously she hadn't caught the sarcasm. But as Azula jumped down into the lifeboat, she decided she didn't really care. It was more than enough just having her there, safe.

**A/N: I was going to kill Ty Lee and Mai, but decided not to. I might need them later in the story.**

**Hope you liked this chapter; it wasn't nearly as hard to write as I thought it'd be but still sucked so this could be the last crisis Azula faces for a few chapters. Maybe. Haven't decided yet.**

**Please review!! If I don't get three (3!!) reviews for this chapter, I'm not updating. And by that I mean probably pulling it. PLEASE REVIEW!!**

**And when you're done reading this, check out appa-appa-away's new stories, **_**Ahoy! The Zutara Drabble Series**_** and **_**My Blutara**_**. Both excellent stories. Definitely must-reads. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Under a starlit black sky, the little wooden rowboat floated restlessly on the placid ocean waters, moving back and forth, back and forth...

It had been almost an hour since the ship had completely disappeared underwater, probably never to see daylight again, Azula realized coldly. She, Mai and Ty Lee were all crammed onto one of the fifteen lifeboats, while Mai's parents and Tom-Tom were on another, and no one seemed sure what to do.

They were almost exactly, according to the captain, halfway between the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom, and it could be days or even weeks before they drifted to land. At least the weather had cleared up, and it had very fast. Within minutes of the ship sinking into the dark depths of the ocean, the clouds had drifted away and the sea had calmed. So they were at least safe for the night.

Azula leaned back and tried to stretch out a bit, but the little boat was completely crammed with the three girls and Azula's luggage, which for some reason had been saved. She supposed that made sense. After all, a bad report from her to the Fire Lord and none of these sailors would ever make another trip out to sea. Still, the suitcases took up a lot of room, and they only had so much. But as long as the other two girls weren't complaining, she wasn't going to throw her precious possessions overboard. They were all she had left of her home in the Fire Nation.

Taking a deep breath, Azula curled up against the cold, pulling her knees to her chest and resting her head on her arms as she crossed them over her legs. This was stupid. She could've been in the Fire Nation right then; warm and safe in her own bed. But no. She was lost in the middle of the ocean with no way of getting to land and two friends who were sure to drive her crazy by the time they _did_ get back to land.

She stared out over the empty liquid landscape, hating that it all looked the same. All a thick line of blue-black fog resting heavily over the horizon, an unpleasant memory of the day's previous disaster. As she watched the unchanging line, though, she noticed something was different. There was one tiny black dot that was slowly - so, so slowly - getting bigger. Coming towards them.

At first, the princess wasn't sure she was really seeing anything at all; maybe her eyes were playing tricks on her. But as it neared, Azula grew more and more certain - that was a ship. And it was definitely coming in their direction.

"Ty Lee! Mai! Wake up!" she commanded excitedly, shaking them both until their eyes opened.

"Not again, Azula. If the boats sinking I'll just drown. I'm tired," mumbled Ty Lee.

"Yeah, Azula. Same here," added Mai.

Frustrated, Azula turned towards Mai's parents, then back at Mai. "You have to get up! There's a ship coming! We could be saved!" Sluggishly the two girls sat up, stretching their arms high above them and yawning.

"Don't you see it? Right over there," pointed out Azula triumphantly, as if somehow her pride would bring the ship closer.

"I don't see anything," snapped Ty Lee.

"Me neither. I'm going back to - wait, Ty Lee, look. There, a little to the left of the captain's boat and way far off. Is that it, Azula?" Mai sounded more interested than she usually did, and her eyes sparkled with an engagement that Azula almost found scary. Definitely unfamiliar.

"Oh my goodness, Azula! You were right! Hey! Everyone, wake up! We're saved!" screamed Ty Lee, jumping up and almost overturning the boat. Mai and Azula pulled her down as everyone else sat up, straining to see into the misty dark.

There was a flurry of commotion as dirty sailors all crawled over each other, shouting to the dark object that was floating ominously closer to them.

"Those selfish pigs. If anyone's worth saving, it's us!" Ty Lee cried indignantly.

"Ty Lee, I'm sure we'll all get picked up. No need to get upset," sighed Mai, who had returned to her natural state of unbreakable formality.

And for a moment, the waters were calm as everyone waited in breathless anticipation for the ship to get close enough to stop. But they quickly realized it was coming much too fast; the enormous vessel would never be able to stop in time to save them. The sailors resumed their hollering, calling desperately for the captain to slow down, but it was no use. The ghostly-looking metal monster glided silently by without even slowing, and a couple of lifeboats got pulled under it as it moved by.

"That's not fair," whimpered Ty Lee. "We were so close."

"We haven't been outside too long, Ty Lee. Everything will be fine," Azula promised, shivering violently. She was soaked and it was freezing - compared to most Fire Nation nights, at least. Someone had to find them, and soon. She wasn't fond of the idea she could be cold all night.

The stars were twinkling merrily; mockingly. Azula hated them, laughing silently down at her while she suffered. Stars were warm. So warm, so warm...

"_Azula, come look! You've got to see this!" screamed Zuko._

"_No, Zuko. I'm sleeping. It's nighttime and you should be sleeping, too," Azula answered._

"_But Azula, it's really cool. Just look out a window." Little Zuko dragged Azula out of bed and pulled her over to the window. Outside, tiny white stars were falling silently to the ground, disappearing when they hit it._

"_What is it?" asked Azula, widening her eyes and pushing her nose against the glass._

"_Dad says it's snow. It's just ice that falls from the sky in cool shapes, but it's too hot here and it won't stick."_

"_What would it stick to if it were colder?"_

"_Oh, everything, I guess," explained Zuko excitedly. "Maybe even you if you went out there."_

"_Can it hurt you?"_

"_No, Azula. Don't be stupid. It's just ice." Zuko frowned, keeping his eyes fixed on the little white flakes._

"_I hate ice." Azula walked away and crawled back into bed. Her sheets were soft and clean and warm and they swallowed her in a comforting mirage of red fabric. She breathed deeply, inhaling the faint scent of jasmine that still lingered in the sheets, not caring that she had no idea where the smell had come from. It didn't matter. She was safe underneath the mounds of blankets...completely, perfectly safe..._

"Azula, wake up!" Ty Lee shrieked. "There's another ship coming!"

"Uugghh..." Looking around, slightly dazed, Azula saw that the sun was high in the air. How long had she been asleep?

She didn't have much time to think about it before the huge metal hull of a ship was right next to her; just far enough that she couldn't quite reach it, but way too close for her to feel secure in her little rowboat.

A long rope ladder dropped down to the water's surface, rippling the mostly still water in tiny perfect circles. Ty Lee grabbed it and pulled herself up, not wasting one more second in the lifeboat. Mai followed a little more slowly, carrying Tom-Tom while she climbed. To Azula, it looked like a huge risk to take when they'd only barely saved the toddler back on the first ship, but she kept her mouth shut and followed Mai up the make-shift ladder.

Pretty soon everyone was onboard, and the ship was moving again. "Do you know where this ship is going?" questioned Azula in a low voice, suspiciously eyeing the unfamiliar crew of their rescue ship.

"Well, no, but I think we're headed for the Earth Kingdom. Isn't that the only country above the Fire Nation?" answered Ty Lee airily.

"I suppose...besides the North Pole, that is. And you can't reach that without going through the Earth Kingdom. Not easily, at least," replied Azula carefully.

"Don't be paranoid, Azula. We're fine," Mai promised dryly.

"You're right, Mai." Of course she was. Good, stable Mai. Almost always right.

Azula looked calmly down over one side of the ship to the frothy white waves that were carrying it. And for just one split second, she wondered if maybe the Earth Kingdom wouldn't be so bad.

But only for a second.

**A/N: Sorry this chapter's so much longer than the others...I couldn't seem to find a place to end it. My bad.**

**Anyone who's actually read this far, the next chapter or so should see Azula in the Earth Kingdom, and then the story will really begin. I hope, at least. /**

**And until my next chapter is posted on Monday, please read _My Blutara_ and _Ahoy! The Zutara Drabble Series_ by appa-appa-away. :)**

**Please review!!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**A/N: Looking back at my last chapter, I realized Azula was a little ooc. I guess the real Azula would've been more questioning of her situation and where the ship was going...**

**Sorry. My bad.**

Azula squinted off into the distance, scanning for what felt like the millionth time the empty horizon. Surely they'd hit land soon. The ship was moving fast, the weather was good, and they'd been traveling straight toward the Earth Kingdom for almost an entire day.

When the view remained the same, though, Azula closed her bright gold eyes, breathing in the warm ocean air around her. It was beautiful out, but the closer the ship got to Earth Kingdom shores, the more she wished the ocean would just swallow them all into its great indigo depths.

"Azula, what are you thinking about?" asked Ty Lee suddenly, waking Azula from her daydreaming state.

"Nothing, Ty Lee. Only...no, nothing." Ty Lee wouldn't understand. She herself didn't even understand exactly what was so wrong with living in the Earth Kingdom; this far south it would probably be just like the Fire Nation.

"Are you nervous? I mean, you've never lived in the Earth Kingdom before. What if it's really awful?" breathed Ty Lee softly.

"It can't be that bad. Thousands of people have lived there for their whole lives. I'm only going to be one more."

"You're right. It's good that you have such a positive attitude. If it were me who was humiliated by my father and practically banished to the life of Earth Kingdom nobility, which is just like Fire Nation peasantry but in the Earth Kingdom, I'd be feeling pretty awful. But here you are all chipper and everything; you're such a great person, Azula."

Peasantry? She was in no way going to be a peasant. "I wasn't humiliated by my father, and I certainly wasn't banished. I didn't do anything wrong; he couldn't banish me. But it is pretty disappointing that I could be so easily betrayed by the only person I have left..."

"You have me and Mai," sniffed Ty Lee.

"No, that's not what I meant. You have your father and your sisters; Mai has her parents and Tom-Tom; I have no one. My mother's gone. My brother's a traitor. My uncle doesn't count, and he's a traitor too, anyway. And now my own father is shipping me off to the front lines as some sort of war sacrifice. I guess I should be happy to serve my country like this, but it still hurts," answered Azula curtly, staring calmly over the rocky ocean waters.

"Don't be sad, Azula. I'll never leave you or trade you for soldiers."

Azula laughed, in spite of herself. Silly Ty Lee. She always knew what to say.

Suddenly, Azula spotted a long strip of darkness rising above the indigo horizon. "Ty Lee, do you see that?" she asked anxiously.

"What is it?"

"I think it's land...I think we're here." She tried to tell herself she wasn't nervous; what was there to be nervous about? She was a firebender. The best firebender. Nothing could ever hurt her.

"Are you scared?" whimpered Ty Lee, voice seething with excitement as she gripped the railing at the side of the boat so hard her knuckles turned white.

"Of course not. I have nothing to be scared of," scoffed Azula before adding in a quieter voice, "Are you?"

People were flinging her luggage around, swinging it over their shoulders and tossing it back and forth to each other. Azula frowned. No-good thieves. By the time she got to the palace, she'd have nothing left.

Tom-Tom was crying and had been ever since the ship struck land; the excitement, his mother said, was getting to him and he hadn't had a nap in a while. Azula wondered how hard it would be to abandon him at the busy port. Its dusty cobblestone streets were swarming with dirty sailors and citizens, all screaming out orders and greetings that Azula would rather not have heard. This place was filthy and teeming with vulgar atrocities only a fool could call humans. She hated the Earth Kingdom already.

"Ty Lee, don't talk to him," ordered the princess quickly as Ty Lee opened her mouth to say thank you to a grimy sailor who'd handed her an apple.

"But, Azula; I was just being polite..."

"These...these...ugh; they don't deserve your cordiality. Just keep walking." Azula grabbed the apple and handed it off to some hungry-looking tan-skinned beggar.

"Why'd you do that? I was hungry," whined Ty Lee.

"You don't know where it's been."

"Oh, Azula. Calm down," sighed Mai, holding up a wailing Tom-Tom where the native kids couldn't reach him. "Everyone wants to touch his feet," she explained to Azula when the firebender looked at her inquisitively.

"They're probably not used to seeing real, civilized human beings. Come, Ty Lee; don't dawdle."

"Sorry." They walked on in silence, Azula keeping a close eye on both her traveling companions and the reprobates carrying her luggage. If Ozai only knew what his beloved daughter was having to suffer through right then; he'd have to change his mind. Azula knew it was too late for that, though.

Fighting through a herd of beggars and venders, Azula gritted her teeth. If this was life in the Earth Kingdom, she'd have to go home. No self-respecting person would tolerate such poor conditions.

There was a short, skinny man in long green robes hollering at the crowd, but Azula ignored him. He was probably just one more merchant. As she was about to walk by him, though, Ty Lee grabbed her shoulder. "Azula," she shouted, trying to be heard over the whirlwind of unhappy voices, "I think he's calling for you."

"Thank you Ty Lee," grunted Azula bitterly. She'd been hoping no one would come looking for her, but obviously that wasn't going to happen. Sadly, she was just too popular to go anywhere unnoticed.

She strolled through the mass of people and stood in front of the little Earth Kingdom man, frowning. "Can I help you?" she asked demandingly.

"Yes, um..." he pulled a scroll out of one sleeve and looked at it, then back at Azula. "Are you Princess Azula?"

"Who's asking?" Couldn't trust any of these stupid Earth Kingdom barbarians. Not even the well-dressed ones.

"I am Wang Twai, chief advisor to the prince. I run all of his errands and stuff like that. Would you please follow me?" He bowed low and motioned toward some rickety excuse for a cart which, Azula realized with slight horror, was being pulled by birds. Giant, ugly birds. "You know, the prince is really excited to meet you. We've all heard wonderful things about the Fire Nation's prized princess."

If she was such a prize, why was she being sold for foul Earth Kingdom men? "Have you really?"

"Oh, yes, my dear! All sorts of wonderful things. So, how do you like the Earth Kingdom so far?"

"It's disgusting. I'm not at all surprised the Fire Lord wants it destroyed."

The man grimaced and smiled a little. "Oh, well...you entered the country at a pretty poor port. So sorry. We've been meaning to close it down to do some general maintenance, but there are just so many people..."

"Of course. I understand."

But she hated the country just the same. It was sickening; the people and the land itself.

And it would never be any replacement for the Fire Nation.

**A/N: Nothing much to say about this chapter...hope you enjoyed it. Next chapter on Friday; please check it out. And guys, please review this. I'm dying for reviews.**

**Then read appa-appa-away's new stories **_**My Blutara**_** and **_**Ahoy! The Zutara Drabble Series**_**. Those stories rock. That author rocks. The whole world, you know, just like...rocks...except for my review situation. That plain sucks. Especially for my story **_**Keeper of the Sun.**_** That story may as well not be on, considering how few reviews it gets...**

**Please review!!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The palace was huge. It's white spires soared high against the clear blue sky, towering

over the neatly trimmed, luscious green gardens that surrounded the old building. Azula's eyes wandered over the dark, open windows and clean, painted brick sides of the structure, then looked down at the large, dark wooden door.

"Well, this is it!" cried Wang Twai in practiced excitement. He flung open the heavy-looking doors and led Azula, Ty Lee, Mai, and the rest of their group into the spotless foyer. It surprised Azula that there was such a beautiful building in such a hideous country, but she followed Wang Twai willingly, noting the smooth tile floors and the enormous staircase against the opposite wall. It went straight up in steep marble steps until it reached the halfway point on the high wall, then split in two; one side going right, and one left.

"This is amazing," gasped Ty Lee, staring star-struck at the room.

"Why, thank you. The prince prides himself in the beauty of his home. Feel free to make yourselves comfortable; I'll have someone find you all rooms." Wang Twai seemed so content playing up his master, and Azula found it a little humorous. Who was that happy to work non-stop for anyone?

A group of three or four uniformed maids appeared suddenly from a dark hallway underneath the staircase, and each took one of the curious guests to a room. Azula followed one girl up the sparkling stairs and down a long hallway lined with dark wooden doors like the front door and a lot of old pictures. She found the whole affect very cheerful and elegant, if not a bit fake and overdone, and paid close attention to which room she was brought to.

The room was a crisp, sun-filled example of the splendor of the whole house; it's soft lace curtains fluttering gently in the mid-afternoon breeze and the smooth wooden furniture all gleaming gold in the warm light that filtered through the open windows. Azula looked from the ivory sheets on the room's large bed to the open door of an equally large closet and smiled. So far, this place wasn't nearly as bad as she'd thought it would be.

"Everything look alright, Ma'am?" asked the servant cheerily, bowing and swiftly exiting the room when Azula said yes.

The princess walked over to one window and looked inquisitively down at the waves of green life far beneath her. The Fire Nation palace garden had never looked half this good; only so many plants would grow in the hot, dry country, but that was clearly not true in the Earth Kingdom. Multitudes of bright, colorful flowers stretched their uplifted heads toward the sun, shivering delightfully in the same light breeze that was toying with the curtains in Azula's room and her hair.

She was interrupted moments later by a loud knock on her door, which she quickly went to answer. It was Ty Lee.

"Isn't this place amazing, Azula?" sighed the slender acrobat.

"It's nice; nothing like the Fire Nation."

"Oh, Azula. Don't even think about the Fire Nation. It's all part of your past now, and here you have a beautiful future to look forward to! Just cheer up."

Azula's eyes widened skeptically. "Where did that come from?"

"I don't know. It kind of hit me and I was like: Wow, what a great thing to say! So I said it. Come on; let's go find Mai." Ty Lee excitedly grabbed Azula's hand and pulled her back down one flight of stairs and up the other. It was nearly identical to Azula's hallway, the only difference being much more recent pictures. "I think she's in one of these rooms; I know this is where they brought her parents."

The girls spent a few minutes knocking patiently on doors and waiting for Mai to answer, and finally they found her. "This place is really...white..." Mai pointed out, grimacing slightly.

"I know; it must be a pain to keep clean," answered Ty Lee.

"My parents are off trying to find somewhere for us to stay; they don't want to live with the Earth Kingdom prince, I guess."

"That's kind of too bad, Mai. Can I still stay with you?"

"Yes, Ty Lee." Mai and Ty Lee were ignoring Azula, and the princess found it rather annoying. They wouldn't even be here if she hadn't let them tag along. Or if she hadn't saved them when the ship was sinking.

"I'm going to go get cleaned up; I still smell like salt water. You two have fun," she snapped as she wandered off to find a bathroom.

Azula sank into the warm, steaming water. It rippled around her in smooth, even circles and she took a deep breath. This was a welcome change from ship life.

The smell of the air in the Earth Kingdom was something she was still getting used to. There was no smoke; no suffocating aroma of soot. It was just empty. Sweet, light, and empty. And she found it strange - how did anyone keep their air so clean? Maybe it was the lack of fire. Everything in the Fire Nation seemed to be on fire; well, not everything, but without fire, how did these Earth Kingdom people see? They needed fire just as much as people in the Fire Nation. For light. For warmth. For everything that the Fire Nation needed.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. She jumped a bit and rolled her eyes. "Ty Lee, please. Didn't I tell you I was -"

"Excuse me, Ma'am, but the prince is ready to see you. Should I tell him you're busy?" Who was that talking? Definitely not Ty Lee...

"Oh, um; no. No - I'll be right out. Just, uh, wait a minute."

"Of course, Ma'am."

Azula scrambled out of the bathtub and into the clean clothes she'd brought with her. This was humiliating. She had no time to do anything; not to dry her hair, not to do her makeup, not to practice her lines...

"Coming!" she cried after wringing out her hair over the bathtub and forcing it up into a loose bun. Stealing one glance in the mirror before she opened the door, Azula sighed. She looked awful. But maybe this was a good thing! Maybe now he'd be so horrified by her appearance, he'd send her back home! Then her father would have to understand, and he'd welcome her back by bowing at her feet and sobbing his apologies. Yes. This was going to be fun.

"Right this way, miss," directed the scrawny servant, leading Azula down a huge, brightly lit hallway down to a huge door. The palace was full of those, the princess realized dully.

Upon entering the room, the servant bowed slightly and introduced Azula, then quickly exited. Up on a high throne at one end of the room sat the prince, smiling comically in a way that lit up his pale face. She'd been expecting him to be dark, like the other Earth-Kingdomers, but he wasn't. He had smooth white skin and dark brown hair that matched his equally dark eyes, and Azula was a little surprised. He wasn't nearly as bad-looking as she'd thought he'd be.

"Ah! Princess Azula! I'm so excited to meet you!" He got off his throne and walked down a short flight of steps to the level at which Azula was standing and bowed. She bowed back, straining to look up at him. He was tall. A lot taller than her dad; certainly much, much taller than she'd been preparing herself for.

"Pleasure's all mine," she replied dryly.

"How do you like the Earth Kingdom?"

Did everyone here ask that? Was it required? Or did they just think it was funny to bother the Fire Nation immigrants with these annoying questions? "It's really...lovely. Very..._different_."

"Yes, I suppose it is. I'm sure you'll get used to it; marvelous place, it is."

"I'm sure."

"Have you been able to settle in alright?" The way he was talking, Azula was worried he may have actually been interested in the conversation. And it was definitely not an interesting conversation.

"Yes."

"Good, good! Lunch will be in about an hour or so; I'll have someone let you know exactly when. And how are your friends doing?"

"They're doing well, I suppose. Mai's parents are out looking for somewhere they can stay and -"

"Nonsense! They can stay right here with me! I have plenty of room here and absolutely no one to share it with. It gets very lonely."

"That's really not necessary; you see they -"

"No, no I insist! You tell them to stop looking because I'd be honored to have them here as long as they don't wreck the place."

Azula frowned, staring blankly into the prince's sparkling eyes. He looked a bit confused.

"No, see...that was a joke. I um; I don't really think they're going to wreck - never mind. Nice meeting you." He bowed again and then left, abandoning Azula in the spacious white room. She looked around, in search of something - anything - red, or black, or on fire...but there was nothing. Absolutely nothing. What kind of throne room was this?

Feeling slightly sick because of the lack of Fire Nation, Azula left. At least Ty Lee and Mai could stay; but the chance that they would once they realized how Earth Kingdom everything was here was quite slim. If she'd had the choice, Azula would've been looking for somewhere else to stay, too.

But she didn't. She was trapped in this over-sized white tile prison.

And this was all Ozai's fault.

**A/N: I went just a little overboard on some of the earlier description...I've been trying to cut back but it's just so hard to leave stuff out sometimes...I may just write a long, pointless completely-description drabble to get it out of my system...that's really all I need...just one more fix...**

**Thanks, Hannah, for helping me write this chapter. And helping me curb my addiction. I'm hopeless. :)**

**Now go read **_**My Blutara**_** and **_**Ahoy! The Zutara Drabble Series**_** by appa-appa-away. Those stories are awesome enough that they shouldn't need me boosting them up, but of course I'm going to keep doing it. :)**

**Speaking of cool stories that need reading/reviewing (besides this one...) you guys should check out **_**Keeper of the Sun**_** by yours truly (that'd be me...duh...lol). It's dying...pretty much been on life support since the day I posted it...and it's not dying because there's nothing happening, because it has a really fun plotline. Yeah, I actually thought of a plot...but no one's reviewing that story. No one. Well, not no one, but most people aren't. I could really use some more reviewers, although I dearly love and adore the few that I have...you're each just one more medicated syringe giving my story a bit more life...lol loser medical joke...that was really gay of me...sorry...lol...**

**Please review!!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"So...you're the prince?" began Ty Lee skeptically, squinting her large eyes as she studied the figure seated at one end of the long dining room table.

"Yes; my -"

"I see, I see. Why don't you tell us a little about yourself. You know; your name, your age, how much you're worth..." Azula cringed at Ty Lee's behavior. This wasn't how she'd meant for the prince to get to know her. She'd been hoping Ty Lee would just stay out of the situation, but obviously it was too late for that.

"Uh, well, my name is Tsao-Chih, I'm eighteen years old, and I don't really know -"

"Eighteen, you say? Interesting. So, would your father by any chance be the king, then?"

"Yes, he is. Actually, he's -"

"Does that mean when he dies, you're going to be king of the whole Earth Kingdom?!" Ty Lee shrieked excitedly, leaning across the table a bit and staring wide-eyed at Tsao-Chih.

"Well, not the _whole_ Earth Kingdom; I mean parts of it belong to the Fire Nation, and other parts are -"

"You know, Azula, I think you were wrong. I don't think he's not that bad at all; I mean really - you're going to be a queen!"

Again, Azula found herself grimacing as she smiled sheepishly back at Ty Lee. This was humiliating. But she supposed she deserved it for being foolish enough to bring Ty Lee along...

Tsao-Chih laughed, and the whole room seemed to brighten up a bit. Even in the stark white surroundings, Azula couldn't help but feel a little cheerier at the pure humor in his laugh. "Azula, your friend is charming. What's her name again?"

"Ty Lee." Oh, so Ty Lee was charming? Well, maybe he could just marry her instead. Azula turned toward Mai, who was sitting quietly, eating her lunch as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening. Tsao-Chih also turned his attention to the silent teen.

"And your name is...?"

"Mai. Pleasure to meet you." Azula smiled; there was no pleasure in Mai's voice. Obviously she'd had enough of Earth Kingdom life.

"The pleasure's all mine. You know, Azula, I never pictured you being friends with such...characters," grinned the prince, his dark eyes sparkling comically.

"Really," answered Azula, secretly agreeing. She hadn't ever imagined herself with such "characters" either, but she had to be friends with _someone_...

"So what kinds of things do you do for fun, Princess?"

Nothing. "Firebending, mostly. And you?"

"Oh, whatever I can find to do. Archery, some sword fighting, a bit of Komodo rhino riding...nothing specific."

"There are Komodo rhinos here?"

"Well, not everywhere in the Earth Kingdom, but I've managed to get a hold of a couple from a Fire Nation friend of mine. I suppose it pays to be well-connected," he explained with a smile.

That statement angered Azula; was she just another trophy to show off his connections? "I guess it does."

"Do you read any?" Tsao-Chih asked suddenly. "Because I read a lot; I've loved it since I was a child. There's just so much out there to learn if you're willing to read about it, you know?"

"Of course." Reading was for housewives with nothing better to do all day than sweep floors and tend to screaming children. Definitely not for her.

"What's your favorite book, then?"

"Oh, um..." Shoot. "There's...just...so many I can't hardly decide..."

"I know exactly what you mean." Why was he so excited? They were talking about books, for goodness' sake. "Ty Lee, Mai, what about you? What do you girls do for fun?"

"Ooh! I'll answer first, Mai," volunteered Ty Lee energetically. "I'm an acrobat for a huge circus, so I do all sorts of gymnastic stuff. And sometimes I help Azula practice her bending."

"Oh, you bend?"

"Well, no...but I let her shoot fire at me so she can improve her aim and speed and everything. It's really fun when she's careful not to burn me too badly." Azula closed her eyes and took one deep breath, counting silently to ten. Stupid Ty Lee. Making her sound like some crazy pyromaniac trying to roast her.

"That's...that sounds like fun," chuckled Tsao-Chih, obviously unfazed. "Mai?"

Mai sighed and shrugged. "I follow Ty Lee and Azula around when they're in town; that's about it. There's absolutely nothing to do here."

"Oh, I have to disagree with you. The Earth Kingdom is full of all sorts of fun things to do."

Ty Lee giggled. "You talk funny. Doesn't he, Azula?"

"I...didn't notice, Ty Lee."

Once again, Tsao-Chih didn't seem bothered by Ty Lee's odd statement. "I hear that a lot, actually. I don't understand it. But I guess it doesn't really matter."

"So how many kids are you two planning to have?" asked Ty Lee loudly, " Two? Five? Thirteen? I always thought twelve was a good number, myself, but that's just me..."

For the first time since the meal started, Tsao-Chih didn't seem to know how to answer. "I don't...um...see, we haven't really been..."

"Ty Lee, your hand is in Mai's food," interrupted Azula abruptly. Ty Lee gasped and threw her hand in the air, then calmly cleaned it off with her napkin.

"Sorry, Mai. Didn't know you were so close," she giggled. Mai's expression never changed.

"It's fine, Ty Lee. I wasn't really that hungry anyway." Azula felt sorry for her quietest friend; Mai was obviously hungry. She'd never seen her eat that much at one time, and at a stranger's house, no less.

Tsao-Chih laughed again, and Azula felt her heart skip a beat. He sounded so happy; like no matter what happened, he'd always be this lighthearted. She was pretty sure she'd never heard her father laugh like that; maybe she'd never heard him laugh at all. She certainly couldn't remember if she had. "You three are charming," he chuckled, "and it's been very nice spending some time with you. I hope I get a chance to meet your parents sometime, Mai."

Mai nodded, obviously not quite as excited.

"Well, then, I must be off," he added. "Lots to do today; so sorry to have to leave you all."

Out of the corner of her eye, Azula saw Ty Lee swoon a bit as the little acrobat smiled up at Tsao-Chi. Azula frowned. "It's been lovely talking to you," she sniffed, locking her eyes on the window at the far end of the room. Ty Lee liked Tsao-Chi? Even now that she knew Azula was going to marry him? There was something seriously wrong with their friendship, and Azula promised herself she'd find a way to illustrate this to Ty Lee. Maybe sometime when Mai wasn't around. Because Mai would defend Ty Lee, and Azula wasn't about to tolerate both of them turning against her.

"You know, Azula, you're really lucky," sighed Ty Lee once the prince had left the high-ceilinged white room.

"Oh really? Why is that?"

"You get to live in a beautiful castle and be a queen and marry _him_..."

"And spend the rest of my life trapped in the Earth Kingdom. You forgot that part." She'd been getting much too content with this place. It was definitely time to re-evaluate the situation.

"You know, I don't really mind the Earth Kingdom. I actually think it's really pretty. Have you seen the flowers? There's nothing like that in the Fire Nation." Azula didn't like Ty Lee's tone when she said Fire Nation. There was something scornful about it; something slightly insulting in how she referred to her home country. And that was something Azula found hard to endure.

"Ty Lee, it's been nice having you here, but I really think it's about time you were getting back to the circus," snarled the firebender.

"Wh- what? Back to the...but Azula, I thought you said I could -"

"Well, things just aren't working out. And I'm sure your slovenly little band of carnival freaks will be glad to have you back." The words felt good coming out of the princess's mouth; long overdue reprimands that she'd kept quiet for much too long.

"Azula, you know just as well as I do that they're not freaks _or_ involved in any carnivals," snapped Ty Lee. "But I guess it doesn't really matter. I was getting ready to leave anyway." Ty Lee walked briskly out of the cavernous room, wiping her large eyes on her sleeve letting out one muffled sob. Azula smirked. That had been easier than she'd been expecting.

But Mai didn't look too happy. "Why did you do that, Azula?" she asked coldly, her expression still emotionless but her voice burdened with anger.

"Mai, she was getting to be bothersome. And I just don't like her new attitude towards the Fire Nation."

"What's her 'new attitude'? She seemed normal to me."

"Well then maybe she's normally a traitor and I simply haven't cared to notice." Why was Mai so upset? If she really wanted to, she could go with Ty Lee.

"Ty Lee is not a traitor just for being happy in the Earth Kingdom."

"It's not just that. She obviously has no appreciation for the country that's given her everything."

"The Fire Nation hasn't given her anything. It gave _you_ everything. But not Ty Lee. She may've been better off never even living there."

"Then maybe she should just move." Azula stood up and shoved her chair against the table. "And maybe you should go with her." And with that, she stormed out of the dining room.

Stupid Ty Lee. Stupid Mai. The Fire Lord had probably planned this; planned for them to betray her like they had. He wanted her to be unhappy - the prince probably hadn't even asked for her. She'd just been given to him because Ozai hated her.

But that was fine. She didn't need him. And she certainly didn't need Ty Lee or Mai. She was fine on her own. And if it was the last thing she did, she'd find a way to show them all.

**A/N: sigh I've done a bad thing...now Azula has almost no one to talk to...and that means more description. Can't have that. I'll find a way to make it work...hang with me...next chapter on Friday!! :)**

**Please review!!**

**And please read **_**My Blutara **_**and **_**Ahoy! The Zutara Drabble Series**_** by appa-appa-away. Those stories are awesome.**

**And so is my story **_**Keeper of the Sun**_** which is suffering greatly from lack of reviews. Uncle Sam wants YOU to review that story...and this one...**

**Not really. But stupid patriotic stuff like that gets me every time...:) God bless the U.S...and all the other countries, too...and my stories...oh my gosh, my prayers are going to take forever tonight...**

**Review!!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

From her window, Azula could still see them walking away with their few possessions and finally disappearing beyond the tree-lined horizon. But Ty Lee and Mai had been gone for a while now; almost an hour. Which meant it was time to forget about it.

She sat down on her bed and wondered what she was supposed to do next. There was no one to talk to. No one to fight with. Just no one.

She'd considered apologizing to them, and she knew that Ty Lee at least would come back. But now she didn't even know where they were; they might have stayed in the Earth Kingdom - certainly Mai would've since her father worked there - but Ty Lee could be heading back to the Fire Nation. Back to the circus Azula had practically banished her to.

The princess sighed and gritted her teeth, frustrated with her friends. Her situation. Her lack of control. If she could just find Mai, then Ty Lee would be easy to locate. But she had no idea where Mai and her family had gone. They could be anywhere in this half of the Earth Kingdom. And this half of the Earth Kingdom was huge. Much too big for Azula to search alone.

Maybe it didn't matter. Azula half-heartedly tried to convince herself she didn't care what happened to Ty Lee and Mai, then walked silently over to her bedroom door. As her fingers brushed uncertainly against the gleaming doorknob, she realized how easy it would be to get out of this situation. She could simply walk out of the palace; no one was really watching her. And for a few hours at least, no one would even notice she was gone.

By the time they figured out she had gotten away, she could be halfway back to the Fire Nation. And surely they wouldn't actually hunt her down. Not once she was safely behind the borders of her own country.

Azula smiled slyly to herself and turned the doorknob, then tip-toed out into the hallway. Poor Ty Lee and Mai. Had they stayed for only a few more hours, they, too, could be going back to the Fire Nation. She cautiously made her way down the long, well-lit hall, trying not to make any noise, which was extremely difficult because the floorboards creaked unbearably under even her lightest footsteps.

By the time she reached the staircase, she was certain everyone in the whole building must've known she was out of her room. But if they really did know, they made no effort to stop her, and Azula stole away silently through the unguarded front door.

The warm air outside felt surprisingly similar to that which filled the palace, and this slightly surprised Azula. It wasn't like that in the Fire Nation; there was always a drastic difference there. But she ignored it and kept walking, confidently strolling right down the main path to the palace; also the main path to the road.

She'd made it. She was out. And no one was even suspicious yet. Azula smirked at the stupidity of the Earth Kingdom; of anyone outside of the Fire Nation. No one could get out of the Fire Nation palace without getting spotted by someone; there were always guards and servants roaming the lonely halls of that ancient building. And Azula knew from experience that escaping the palace was nearly impossible.

But she didn't need to escape from the Fire Nation palace, so for the moment, everything seemed to be going perfectly. Although the Earth Kingdom streets were confusing and extremely disorienting - all winding and twisting about, running into each other and around each other and each looking remarkably like the last - Azula was content to wander for a while. She didn't need to leave quite yet. And there was still, somewhere in the back of her mind, the desire to find Ty Lee and Mai and bring them back with her. Even they didn't deserve to have to stay in the Earth Kingdom.

After hours of being hopelessly lost in the huge city, Azula began to get frustrated. She'd escaped the palace. But now she was trapped in a filthy, crowded town that she didn't even know the name of. And the more she thought about it, the more she started thinking that maybe being princess of the Earth Kingdom wasn't so bad. She wouldn't actually have to talk to too many Earth Kingdom people; even in the Fire Nation, she hadn't actually ever had to talk to anyone. Not unless she wanted to, at least. Ozai had never made her see anyone unless she wanted to.

Azula kept walking, though. She had to find Ty Lee and Mai before the sun went down. There was no way she was sleeping anywhere even close to the disgusting streets she'd been wandering all afternoon. The governor's mansion had to be somewhere close-by. This was the heart of the city, or so Azula assumed. She was having trouble telling the difference between each of the identical roads, and as the sun sank lower and lower in the clear amber sky, Azula began to think she'd never get away from the town that had imprisoned her.

Finally, Azula stopped. She couldn't keep walking all night. And if she stayed out any later, she was sure to get mugged. At least in such a low-class city like this. She needed somewhere to stay. But there weren't any inns or hotels around; she'd been watching for them and they'd simply never showed up. Which meant she was either walking all the way back to the palace, where she'd have to explain her absence, or finding someone who would let her stay with them for the night.

There were plenty of houses to choose from; this part of town was packed with pretty, well-kempt homes. They were nice, considering the ratty buildings she'd been seeing downtown all day. It occurred to Azula that she wouldn't think they were nice if she hadn't been walking through such awful neighborhoods, but she brushed the thought aside and walked up to the first house on her right, which, besides looking slightly gloomy and almost abandoned, was easily the nicest house on the block.

She strolled confidently up to the front door, noting suspiciously the Fire Nation flowers that lined the front walk bobbing their colorful heads on the sweet, warm evening breeze. That was strange. She hadn't even been aware it was possible to grow the heat-loving blossoms in the unstable climate of the Earth Kingdom.

Choosing to ignore the odd plants, Azula lifted her pale fist and knocked softly but authoritatively on the dark wooden door. The front of the house faced east and was submerged entirely in shadow, and the inside of the house was almost completely dark. But after waiting only a second or two, she heard the quiet shuffling sound of light footsteps on what Azula decided were probably bare wood floors.

The door was unlocked with a muffled click, and then it was pulled gently open, revealing the all-too-familiar face of someone Azula had hoped never to see again.

The princess took an awkward step back.

And wondered if it was too late to pick another house.

**A/N: Heeheehee...any guesses who answered the door? XP**

**Ok, read **_**My Blutara **_**and **_**Ahoy! The Zutara Drabble Series**_** by appa-appa-away. Those stories are freakin awesome. I love that author to death, by the way, and that should be enough to make you all want to rush to find those stories. :) In case it's not, though, those stories are amazing. So...yeah...read them...**

**And then read my story **_**Keeper of the Sun**_** because it's suffering greatly from lack of reviews. This story isn't doing as badly as it used to be; actually, it's picked up pretty well. Agh...I'm so proud...lol. Not nearly as proud as I am of **_**Cut Apart the Moon**_**, though. That story is doing way better than I ever thought any story of mine could ever do...sniff...people are just so cool...lol**

**Yup, so read those stories...review this one...three reviews or no update!! :) But ya'll know the drill. :)**

**Review!!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**A/N: New chapters will be, from now on, posted on SUNDAY MORNINGS because school is back and I don't want to post on weekdays. They'll be up really early, too, like close to seven in the morning, because I have to be at church by eight...**

**Sorry for the confusion; PLEASE REVIEW!! THREE REVIEWS OR NO UPDATE!!**

"I - I don't, um, what do I, er, you, what are you...?" Azula pressed a shaking hand against her forehead and closed her flashing gold eyes, then shook her head slightly and opened them again. This wouldn't do. Surely one day in the Earth Kingdom hadn't reduced her to rambling like an idiot. Maybe she could just start over. Or run away... "Hello."

Azula knew she needed to say more than that. That wasn't enough. It was never enough. But she kept her mouth shut and fixed her eyes angrily on the silent figure in front of her. Why wasn't she saying anything?

The obviously bewildered woman moved slightly to one side and motioned for Azula to come in. Once the princess had crossed the threshold, the front door was closed quietly and the two speechless characters turned to face one another. Azula's mind raced for something to say. She couldn't just stand there. She shouldn't even have been there...

"Well, I must say I'm incredibly surprised to see that you've made it this long in such wretched conditions," stated the young firebender coldly. "I half expected you to give up and come home years ago. But I suppose some congratulations are in order; you've succeeded in evading your family for all this time, and I'm sure that by now it doesn't even bother you any more."

Ursa sighed softly and shook her head. "Azula, please don't. You don't understand; I -"

"Don't understand what? I understand everything," hissed Azula, fighting back the hysteria that was threatening her voice. "You always liked Zuko more than me. Everyone knows that. And you left me because of him; you wanted to protect him more than you wanted to be around for me."

"That's not true, Azula. I love you very much." Her voice was slow and soft, deceivingly comforting in a tone that had Azula doubting even her own intense anger.

"Perhaps. But you always loved him more..."

"Oh, Azula, you don't really think that. I've always loved you just as much as I love Zuko."

"That's not what Father says."

Azula saw her mother's hatred for Ozai flash across her shining golden eyes, but only for a second. After that, her expression reverted to its original calm, concrete composure. "Your father doesn't know what he's talking about."

"I doubt he'd lie to me." Or did she? Azula frowned as she realized she was defending the very man who had turned her away. Sold her into marriage to an Earth Kingdom prince for more troops; like he really needed more. And Ozai had torn her entire family apart. Split them in half. Ruined everything. Still, Ozai was the Fire Lord. And Ozai was her father. And just for those reasons, he had to be perfect, she supposed...

"Ozai lies to a lot of people, Azula."

"Maybe."

There was a short pause where Azula shifted her gaze to the floor, and then back up to steal a quick look around her. The house was small, but certainly not cramped. It was actually almost empty, aside from a few smiling pictures of infants who Azula assumed were Zuko and herself, and one slightly tattered Fire Nation flag hung on a wall in the shadows under the stairwell. Azula found the space slightly depressing, all lonely and empty and dark. Maybe everyone's houses looked like this; she couldn't remember anyone's but her own, which was also dark and gloomy. Although it was very far from being empty.

The idea slowly dawned on her that she was supposed to be saying something; Ursa probably wanted to know what her detested daughter was doing at her house. Straightening her back and looking aloofly into her mother's troubled eyes, Azula informed authoritatively, "I need somewhere to stay for the night. I'm on my way back to the Fire Nation, and I'd rather not travel during the night. At least not in this awful town. Which reminds me; I must request that the Fire Lord destroy it once I've arrived back home. This place is unbearable."

"You can stay here," offered Ursa fondly. "But why are you even in the Earth Kingdom? And why are you all alone?"

"I..." Did she really want to say that Ozai had given her away? Probably not. That would only prove that her mother was right to hate the slightly deranged man, and Azula didn't want that at all. "I just thought I'd check up on the new governor. Mai's father just got the job. And I thought I might enjoy a change of scenery for a little while." That, Azula realized with a frown, was one of the worst lies she'd ever told. The Earth Kingdom was really beginning to take its toll on her.

"Uh huh...well, if you're sure...you can still stay here." Ursa led the princess up the winding stairs to a bedroom which, besides being slightly musty, was in good order. Azula smiled weakly and thanked her, then quietly shut the door and leaned against it. Something didn't feel right. She'd lied to her mother thousands of times, usually concerning Zuko, but this time it was different. She wanted to tell her the truth. She wanted to think that someone would side with her, and Ursa had an uncanny ability to switch sides in an argument seamlessly, without anyone really noticing that she was contradicting herself.

It occurred to her that she could go find Ursa and tell her why she was really in the Earth Kingdom; recruit at least one person to defend her position. But that would be extremely awkward. Asking her mother for help. She'd never done it before, and she wasn't sure she wanted to start now. But, there was a first time for everything...

Azula quietly turned the doorknob and crept out of her room, looking nervously to her left and then her right. The staircase was at one side, and a disquietingly dark hallway was at her other. With baited breath, she tip-toed down the hallway, paying close and cynical attention to the immense collection of pictures covering the walls. She stopped to take a closer look at some of them, expecting to see Zuko's tiny round face smiling up at her from every one. It wasn't, though.

For every one picture of Zuko, there were two of Azula. And Azula found this odd. Zuko was the favorite child; at least from her mother's point of view. And next to Zuko, Azula had always been lost in the shadows of obscurity that her mother had forced her into. She took a deep breath and ran a finger across the edge of one picture frame, smiling in an odd, half-smirking fashion as she looked regretfully at the picture. Her own tiny frame was perched precariously on the edge of the turtle-duck pond, and one arm was outstretched, offering a huge piece of bread to the soft, quacking creatures in front of her.

Azula could remember that day. She'd wanted more than anything to feed the ducks; Zuko always got to and it was finally her turn. But she'd broken the bread unevenly, and the pieces were too big. The ducks wouldn't take them. In a display of her easily-ignited anger, Azula had thrown the bread at the ducks, and that was the last time any of them went anywhere near her. Oh, how Zuko had laughed. The turtle-ducks would always love him. And so would Ursa. Ursa could love anyone; anyone but Azula.

Unfamiliar jealously welled up behind the princess's golden eyes and she wrenched the picture from its place on the faded wall, smashing it to the floor and smiling tempestuously as she watched the glass shatter across the cold wooden floor. That would be the last time those stupid turtle-ducks ever tore her mother away from her.

**A/N: I can only imagine how surprised you all must've been when I found a way to bring Ursa into this story...lol but not really. It was probably really obvious. Sorry I'm so obsessed. :)**

**Read appa-appa-away's stories **_**My Blutara**_** and **_**Ahoy! The Zutara Drabble Series**_**. They rock. Need I say more? And read Miss TearChan's one-shot **_**The Missing Piece of the Puzzle.**_** I really like that story and it's super easy to read; she's a pretty new writer and could use the encouragement so please R&R! You know what it was like to be new here. ;)**

**And then read my story **_**Keeper of the Sun**_** which is being forced into an undeserved and incredibly early grave by (guess who) all of you. That story NEEDS reviews. I hate that it's doing so poorly; next to **_**Cut Apart the Moon**_** and maybe even this story, it's really sucking it up. That's making me pretty upset. PLEASE, I'M BEGGING YOU lol READ THAT STORY. Just give it a chance. It's cool. I swear. I've worked sooooooo hard on it. And no one's reading!! Just...please...**

**sigh...ok then...PLEASE REVIEW. Sorry for nagging. I'm so annoying...**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"Azula? What are you doing?" Ursa's voice echoed softly in the dimly-lit hallway and Azula cringed.

"I was looking for you."

"Why did you do that?"

Azula's eyes fixed on the debris she'd strewn across her mother's floor and she shrugged indifferently. "I don't like the picture. I don't like any of them. You shouldn't even have them. You're a traitor."

After a long, awkward pause, Ursa sighed, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Azula laughed, the corners of her mouth turned up in an angry snarl. "Do you really think that's good enough? I'm not like Zuko, Mother. I'm not going to come running back to you just because you apologize. And you'll never see me groveling in your holy shadow, vying for your affection. I don't want it. Father loves me plenty; more than enough to make up for my lack of a mother."

"I'm sure your father loves you very much. But he's not the only one, Azula. I love you so much more than you know. I've always loved you."

"That's a lie!" shrieked the princess. She tore down another picture and then another, stripping the wall as fast as she could of its biased memories. "You're lying! If you loved me so much, you would've watched all of my firebending practices, like you did for Zuko. You would've hung up all of my grade school drawings, like you did for Zuko. You would've said good-bye to me when you left, like you did for Zuko."

"Your father didn't want me anywhere near your firebending practices; he thought I would encourage your mistakes, because apparently I did that for Zuko, too. And I did hang up all of your drawings; I don't know why you didn't see them. And Azula, I wanted to say good-bye to you. I wanted to so badly. But there wasn't time. I had to leave. He would've killed me if he caught me with you," cried Ursa bitterly, her tears streaming perfectly down her pale, flawless face.

Azula shook her head and cackled, her voice slightly unstable as she ranted, "Father loves me. He wants me to be happy. And he knows how much it would've meant to me to have you at my practices. He wouldn't have told you to stay away from me; you're just using him as an excuse to cover up how much you hate me!"

Choking back sobs, Ursa whimpered, "Azula, I do not hate you. And I never wanted you to think that I did. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

"Well, it doesn't really matter anymore. You've already messed everything up. No changing that. And you don't see me crying about it, so you may as well cheer up. After all, you're not a complete failure. If what you say is true, then you've successfully obeyed Father by completely abandoning me. You won't see my tainted by your impurities. Should you even have any, that is. To hear Zuko talk, you'd think you were a goddess." Hot, tormented tears threatened to break Azula's almost stable facade, but she forced them back. She was not going to cry. She didn't cry. She was strong; too strong for tears and strong enough that she knew not to reward her mother by mirroring her own emotion. "And since I believe we're done here, I'm going to retire. You'll find me in my room should you feel the need to reap revenge through me because I ruined your perfect family. So sorry things just didn't work out."

The firebender straightened her back and raised her chin, then entered her room and shut the door firmly. Of all of the houses she could've picked, it had to be this one. It had been those stupid flowers. Lulling her into a false sense of security; of course she'd pick the house that looked the most Fire Nation. And Ursa must've known that. She and Ozai must've been planning this reunion for months; possibly even years. They both wanted to break her, but she wasn't cracked yet. No, she was unbreakable. Impenetrable. No one could hurt her anymore; she'd been hurt plenty of times before, but never again.

With a ragged sigh, she collapsed onto her bed and stared dully out the open window. It was dark outside, and deceivingly warm. If Azula hadn't known better, she may've thought she was in the Fire Nation. But she did know better. And the usual smells of smoke and sea-salt were missing; this couldn't be home. The Earth Kingdom could never be her home.

As she stared venomously at the sparkling indigo sky, she reflected on her previous conversation with her mother. Maybe she'd been a bit harsh. After all, Azula knew quite well that her father was an unusual man, and chances were he really hadn't allowed Ursa near his prized daughter. If that was true, than she supposed she owed Ursa an apology.

The idea amused Azula and she rolled over onto her side, away from the window. She apologized to no one. She never did anything wrong.

_The calendar said August thirteenth, and the world outside said it was going to be a warm, beautiful Friday. Azula jumped out of bed and stretched before running out of her room to find her parents. "Mom! Dad!" she screamed energetically._

_No one answered._

_From his room trudged Zuko, scowling and rubbing his sleepy eyes. "Azula, shut up."_

"_Where is everyone? Where's Mom? Where's Dad?"_

"_Dad's in a war meeting and I have no idea where Mom is. But why do you care? What's wrong?"_

_Azula frowned and placed her hands on her hips. "Don't you know what today is?"_

"_No."_

"_Zuko, you are so dumb. Sometimes I wonder if you're even really a part of this family, or if Mom and Dad just plucked you off of the streets. Or maybe they found you at the circus. I guess it doesn't matter; you probably don't even understand what I'm saying."_

"_What? Of course I do, Azula. I'm not stupid. Just tell me what day it is."_

_With a large grin that was half angry sarcasm and half renewed excitement, she chirped, "It's my birthday!"_

"_So?"_

_Scowling, the little princess snapped, "I always remember your birthday."_

"_Whatever. I'm going to breakfast. Happy birthday, I guess."_

_Azula nodded her head and then pranced down the hallway, swinging her arms at her sides and thoroughly enjoying every minute of being a brand-new seven-year-old. So far, things weren't going as well as she'd hoped they would, but there was still plenty of time for improvement._

_She knocked gently on her parents' door and then slipped quietly in. Her mother was brushing her hair in front of her vanity, and Azula gleefully approached her. "Good morning, Mom."_

_Without so much as a glance towards her daughter, Ursa smiled, "Good morning, Sweetheart."_

_Azula rocked back and forth on her heels a moment before probing, "Anything you want to say to me?"_

"_Um...I don't know...what were you expecting me to say?"_

"_Do you know what day it is?"_

"_Friday."_

"_And what's the date?"_

"_I think it's the thirteenth. Why?"_

_Frustration gnawed at Azula from the inside out as she tried to determine if her mother was just joking or if she really didn't know what was so special about the day. "Doesn't that date mean anything to you?"_

"_Well, your grandfather's going to say that the day's unlucky..."_

"_What? Why?!" shrieked Azula in horror._

"_It's Friday the thirteenth...uh, never mind. You'll probably understand it someday."_

"_Oh." Azula kicked at the corner of the baseboard and then turned around to leave. "Well, I'm going to go play with Ty Lee and Mai, I guess."_

"_Have fun, Darling."_

_With tear-filled eyes, Azula grabbed the doorknob and turned it slowly. Just as she was about to close the door behind her, though, her mother's voice stopped her._

"_Azula?"_

_She poked her head back into her mother's room and waited, trying to hide her obvious disappointment. So no one remembered her birthday. Big deal._

"_You didn't really think I forgot, did you, Honey?"_

_Azula smiled and she ran up to her mother, who bent down and hugged her tight._

"_Happy birthday, Azula."_

The soft sound of raindrops roused Azula from her sleep. She sat up slowly and rubbed her eyes, then turned toward the window. Outside, it was still dark - still nighttime - and yet there was just enough light for Azula to be able to see rain pouring in fat, heavy silver drops from what used to be a perfectly clear sky. As a single flash of lightning illuminated the stormy gray clouds, Azula stood up and walked over to the window, willing herself to close it. But she couldn't bring herself to pull it shut.

Right then, she had something more important to do.

**A/N: I'm such a sucker for anything sappy and cliched. If you really couldn't tell.**

**Read the stories by appa-appa-away. And read **_**Keeper of the Sun**_**. And review everything. Especially this, since you already read this. Tired. Good-night.**


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